Geothermal energy from buried basement rocks
Closed-loop shallow geothermal boreholes drilled up to a depth of around 200 m are quite common in Estonia. But recently, the Geological Survey decided to embark on a project to…
Geothermal
FORGE – first injection test successfully completed but no pressure equilibrium achieved
A couple of months ago, the FORGE project in Utah, USA, reported a successful stimulation and circulation test at their flagship Enhanced Geothermal Systems project. “These tests in stimulated hot…
Removing barriers to geothermal project development
Trying to work with the current myriads of non-standardised terms, definitions, and well design types for geothermal projects is challenging. Interest in the sector is growing rapidly, but its technical…
How the winner of a technology competition made room for the losers to take over the market
Sweden comes third in the list of countries using geothermal energy. But it is not deep geothermal energy, it is shallow geothermal – mostly sourced through closed loop systems of…
Shallow geothermal in Canada – A deep penetration in the geo-energy market
This is the last out of three articles in the shallow geothermal series. In previous articles, we discussed shallow geothermal drilling technology, the market, and the role of the subsurface…
Shallow geothermal in Australia – from “cold” Melbourne to “hot” Sydney
This is the second out of three articles in shallow geothermal series. In the first one, we focused our attention on Sweden, where 100% of geo-energy is produced by shallow…
Shallow geothermal in Sweden – A deep penetration in the geo-energy market
The top three countries in terms of geothermal energy production are China, the US and Sweden. In total, these countries produced around 200 TWh in 2020. Of that figure, ground-source…
The first high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage project in Europe
“We have a unique geothermal energy solution here”, says geologist Eva van der Voet from Ennatuurlijk Aardwarmte in Middenmeer, the Netherlands. “The complex of greenhouses we deliver energy to is…
Why Taiwan is looking at geothermal energy with a lot of interest
“Taiwan’s geothermal heat gradient, ranging from 48 to 60 degrees per kilometre, is a clear testament to the island’s volcanic origin. This natural advantage has sparked significant interest in geothermal…
Brushing up on your geothermal vocabulary
It must have been a major exercise to write the paper that was published recently by authors Maryam Khodayar and Sveinbjörn Björnsson in the Open Journal of Geology. I know…
Shallow geothermal drilling is not without risk
It is not every day that geological expertise is brought to the Supreme Court. Late last year, Norway’s highest court dealt with a claim for compensation for subsidence damage to…
A new closed-loop horizontal geothermal well solution
In Europe, deep geothermal heat production for district heating and to a lesser extent district cooling is mainly based on the conventional doublet geothermal well solution. Examples are the wells…